helltown

There was a loud rattling noise, shaking the surrounds. He awoke confused and clutched his head in pain. The rattling speeding up and then there were screams, shrill and eerie and long. Steve was atop a bunk bad on a thin foam mattress but it didnt take him long to notice he was in motion. He climbed down the ladder adjacent, and saw a woman sitting on the lower bed.

"Where am I?" Steve asked her, as he looked toward the small window and flicked the blind upward to reveal the landscape flying past. There was smoke billowing through the fields on fire.

She didnt answer, looking at him suspiciously. She then started yelling but it sounded like gibberish then, "You are on a one way ticket to hell mister!"

There was a long pause, then "How did i get here?" steve asked looking confused

"They brought you in last night." the woman replied

Why am i here?, Steve questioned feeling bewildered

"Well I dont know why you here," she began. "but I know why i am here," I I-I killed my husband . He was no more of a man than a man who is a rapist," she grimmaced. " I put up with him for years. Then one night i just snapped, that knife went right through his back. He bled to death on the kitchen tiles."

"I am so sorry," Steve replied," that sounds awful." The noise of the rattling now slowing down, then the screams started again. Steve checks the lock on the cabin door, it is open.

He steps outside and sees a young boy sitting on the floor, he appears to be chanting. 'I'm gonna cut off your arms and legs, feed you to the the prey, you aint never gonna see the light of day," says the young boy, fidgeting his small hands.

Then from out of nowhere another man running through the carriages collided with Steve.

"Oh sorry," the man said

"Is this really taking me to hell," Steve asked

"It sure is," the man said smiling.

Why are you so happy? Steve enquired

I have been preparing for this all of my life, he stated. you see I'm one of those different boys, you know, the adam and steve type.

"Yes, yes thats my name - Steve," he responded suddenly aware of his identity.

"Oh i guess you expecting me to be adam," the man went on," sorry but no my name is Alex. Nice to meet you steve," he beamed." Whats your sin?" he questioned.

Some memories came flooding back to Steve, a married woman he once loved." Maybe adultery," he started, "once I fell in love with anothers wife. I loved her more than life itself. She moved upstate and we fell out. Do you think thats it?" steve asked.

"How would i know," Alex said." Its your sin sucker," he laughed. Just then the young boy stands up and starts running for the next carriage. He is screaming "Dead Dead Dead!!!!".

"That pretty much sums it up," said Alex." Well goodluck Steve," he added, then, "See you in hell, and I mean literally," he then nodded and proceeded to run after the boy, and through to the next carriage.

Steve went back into the sleeper cabin. The woman was still sitting on her the bed. She was rocking back and forth, "its going to be alright" she whispers, over and over, as if to comfort herself.

Steve climbed back up onto the bunk and layed down. Am i dead? he wondered, and began thinking about his life. Wondering about the nominal sin which had sent him for this eternity in purgatory . Was it the T-shirt he stole from Diamontes in high school? The experimenting with drugs in his twenties? That he didn't speak to his father later in life?

The woman still whispering, let out a cry. " God please save me, god please forgive me!"

It got Steve thinking about a religious friend he had once, what his friend had said about forgiveness from God, how he could be absolved in death. He clasped his hands together and silently prayed to god for forgiveness.

The woman now standing up, said, " Its going to get cold tonight on this line", and placed a blanket over Steve legs.

"Thankyou" he smiled. She smiled back revealing a gleaming gold tooth that was reflected by the fire burning outside.

"My name is sherry, you know like the drink?" she said

"I'm Steve," he replied

The rattling and screams slowly quietening for the next few minutes and before long Steve had fallen into a deep sleep.

When he awoke in the morning, everything was silent. he looked towards the window to see a lovely view filled with the green pastures. the railway car appeared to be nicer, more refined. Steve climbed down from his bed and looked around. Sherry was nowhere to be seen. A railway attendant came serving breakfast, sausages and hash browns. Steve ate quickly feeling particularly hungry.

A loud speaker sounded," Passengers we will arrive at Doncaster in fifteen minutes, please prepare your belongings for this disembark."

Steve went to the small sink, splashing his face with water. But when he looked into the mirror He was an old man. His heart quickly beating as he checked over his luggage looking for identification. He looked through the wallet. Yes the name was right, Steve Dobson, but the year 2022. It had been 1993 just yesterday. Almost 30 years had passed. Maybe he had spent all that time in hell?

He got off the train at Doncaster, never looking back, for he had his life again, he didn't want to risk anything. As he walked up to the gates, he saw a ticket lady taking the ticket stubs. he handed her the paper and smiled. She nodded at him and smiled back, Steve noticing her shimmering gold tooth.........Sherry.